Swedish Academic Barred From UK Over Planned Event With Palestine Action Co-Founder

A Swedish climate academic has stated he was blocked from entering the United Kingdom after scheduling an appearance at a London panel alongside a co-founder of Palestine Action. Andreas Malm, a senior lecturer in human ecology at Lund University, indicated he received a Home Office notice stating his presence was harmful to the public good, though the communication provided no further specifics regarding the decision. He noted that the only logical connection for the denial was his participation in the upcoming discussion organised by Tribune, where he was slated to share a platform with Huda Ammori.

Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm says he was barred from the UK over a planned panel appearance.

Malm asserted that he maintains no membership in Palestine Action, has never provided financial backing to the organisation, and has not issued any public endorsements for the group. He suggested that the British authorities applied a standard of guilt by association due to his co-panellist. The academic acknowledged that he previously characterized the October 2023 attacks by Hamas against Israel as fundamentally a liberation effort, though he also condemned the deaths of civilians during the cross-border incident. He mentioned these earlier remarks could have influenced the immigration restriction, despite having delivered similar viewpoints previously without travel penalties.

The Home Office holds broad authority to exclude foreign nationals from the country if officials determine their entry creates a risk for society. Several other international public figures have faced similar travel restrictions recently, including political commentators and artists whose planned appearances or entries sparked public controversy. Meanwhile, the legal status of Palestine Action remains subject to an upcoming review by the UK Supreme Court following its classification under terrorism legislation.